The law firm for the plaintiff requested attorneys’ fees after obtaining a favorable determination from the Social Security Administration. The district court awarded only a portion of the attorneys fees contained in a contingency fee agreement between the law firm and the plaintiff. In a prior appeal the Seventh Circuit held that the district court abused its discretion by not anchoring its reasonableness analysis on the fee agreement and remanded for further proceedings. On remand, the district court awarded the same amount on the grounds that the contingency fee agreement amount should be reduced to reflect the effective hourly rate. The Seventh Circuit again reversed, finding that the district court abused its discretion by failing to adequately explain its conclusion. The Seventh Circuit remanded with instructions to remit attorneys’ fees in the requested amount.
Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Attorney Fees